Standalone Thäter knots stocked at Bullgoose

[halvor]

Just received an email from Phil at Bullgoose, as have surely plenty others in here. First time I've seen Thäter knots in the wild so to speak. Would be interesting to get one just to compare to current Chinese ones. Thäter, after all, is highly rated. (Surprise surprise, they can hardly compete pricewise, ranging from USD 90 to 120 for 24 upwards to 28 mm.) Looking at the shape, they're distinctly German. Anyone for a punt?

Shaving Brush Knots

H.L. Thater Premium Two Band Badger knots are now available as a stand alone item for those artisans and craftsmen who prefer to make their own handles. The knots have good backbone, excellent flow through and soft tips.

bullgooseshaving.com

 

[JonnyBGood]

Hmmm bullgoose and Thater - no thanks

 

[Dr Watson]

I thought Thater were rebranded Shavemac? Perhaps it's just the handles they buy in from Bernd.

 

[halvor]

I thought Thater were rebranded Shavemac? Perhaps it's just the handles they buy in from Bernd.

As far as I know, the glue plugs of Bernd's knots don't look like these. They truly look more hand tied and glued. Otoh, this kind of plug is probably a wiser move when selling them on their own. So who knows?

 

[UKRob]

I have a Thäter brush and it compares very well with Shavemac knots - very similar in fact. I have no idea if they have the same origin but Shavemac knots on their own are not cheap either.

 

[Nishy]

I know Bernd made some handles for Thater, but I haven't heard that they share knots or the same manufacturer. However I haven't explicitly asked Bernd this.

 

[blexa]

A Thäter 2 Band knot doesn't have much in common with a Shavemac knot, they are both very good knots of a top quality, but the differences are already noticeable.
The only thing they have in common is that Bernd makes the handles for Thäter.
A Shavemac knot is individually also more expensive than Thäter's knot.

 

[ESBrushmaker]

As far as I know, the glue plugs of Bernd's knots don't look like these. They truly look more hand tied and glued. Otoh, this kind of plug is probably a wiser move when selling them on their own. So who knows?

I have no experience with Thater knots; so I trust blexa's observations. (Thanks for weighing-in!) But to amplify on Halvor's remarks, the standalone Shavemac knots we've purchased from Bernd have all had greenish glue plugs vs the white plugs shown on Phil's Thaters. Interestingly, the knots we've cut out of Shavemac handles have all had what we think of as the more traditional string/transparent glue bases. So again to Halvor's point, having an opaque plug is probably the better way to sell knots at retail. ) Either way, Phil's pricing is about what I'd expect to see for individual knots sold at retail. I think Phil's offering is an excellent service to the community.

 

[UKRob]

A Thäter 2 Band knot doesn't have much in common with a Shavemac knot, they are both very good knots of a top quality, but the differences are already noticeable.
The only thing they have in common is that Bernd makes the handles for Thäter.
A Shavemac knot is individually also more expensive than Thäter's knot.

Have to disagree with your opening statement that they don’t have much in common. I have a few Shavemac knots and just the one Thäter but would struggle to tell the difference in a blind test. I’m interested in what differences you can identify, and also what others think who have comparable knots from both.

 

[blexa]

I also have several nodes from both manufacturers and they are by no means the same. The Thäter 2-Band is much softer in overall strength than a Shavemac and also the tips are thinner.
What others think I cannot say, but I know all quality levels of Thäter and also all of Bernd and I would be able to distinguish the hair blindly.

 

[Marcos]

The Thaters I’ve had have all been very nice medium density very soft knots. My only gripe has been that Thater usually lofted them a little too high for my liking in their factory brushes. This will be a nice option for using their knots and setting them a bit lower in a custom handle.

 

[Quique]

I wait they have Silvertip knots also